Rise of the Brotherhood
by The SteelNerfer
Summary: As Ladybug and Cat Noir protect the streets of Paris, Arno Victor Dorian's descendant revives the centuries-old fight against the Knights Templar. As the Templars consolidate their power, and the Templar Grandmaster is revealed, which side will the heroes join?
1. The Revival

"You must keep this a secret. The Brotherhood must not know." A man said to his accomplice in a dark alley in Paris. I had been stalking them for an hour, eavesdropping on their conversation

"Yes, of course. For the Order." The man left, the other man staying behind. Once the man was out of earshot, I jumped down and, extending the blade from my wrist, stabbed him in the throat, not making a sound. I stood up and retracted the blade. After making sure no one saw the deed, I searched his body for papers. I found them and put them in an inside pocket of my jacket. I used the grapple hook my father gave to me and went back to the roofs, running to my apartment on the other side of the Seine.

 _The Next Day . . ._

The bell rang as I approached Collège Françoise Dupont. Luckily, it's my first day here, so hopefully I wouldn't be called out for being late. I rolled up the sleeves of my red flannel shirt, which was unbuttoned to show a black t-shirt underneath, and put my phone back into the pocket of my army green cargo pants. I adjusted the black flat cap on my head and walked up the stairs. As I walked, a girl about my age brushed past me. I chuckled as she somewhat clumsily ran up a flight of stairs. A blonde boy ran past too, to the same classroom. I walked up the stairs to the same classroom as the other two, as it was also mine. I walked through the door.

"Adrien and Marinette, I hope both of y-" The teacher stopped as I walked through the door.

"Is this Miss Bustier's class?" I asked, standing in the door.

"Yes it is." She turned to the class. "This is Jacob Dorian. He moved here from the United States. He will be joining our class today."

"Ha! Pu-lease! We already have enough fashion failures here." A blonde girl who sat at the front of the class said.

"I'm looking at one right now." I said, staring her down as I walked up to my seat, which was in the back. I sat next to a girl that looked like she was from Italy.

"Nice ring you've got there." She said, pointing to my ring I wore on my right middle finger.

"Thanks." I said, rubbing my finger against the Brotherhood's insignia that was on it. "What's your name?"

"Lila Rossi."

"Nice to meet you, Lila." I said. I took out a notebook and began taking notes from the lesson.

After a few more classes, I heard an argument from outside. After a few minutes of the two arguing, one of them ran off. I continued taking notes. A few minutes later, one of the girl's phones went off.

"Miss Bustier!" A black girl said, standing up.

The teacher sighed. "Yes Alya, you may go."

"Thank you!" She said as she grabbed her bag as she ran off.

"Excuse me, I need to go to the bathroom." Adrien said, and he ran off. Marinette gave a similar excuse and ran off. I was certainly confused. Suddenly, the ground started shaking. Instinctively, I looked outside. There was a giant metal man, throwing cars across the city. As it stomped toward the school, everyone started running, I climbed to the roof and, removing my hat and putting a mask and hoodie on, ran to the action.

After running to where the action was, I saw two people. One, a girl with black hair, wearing a red mask and bodysuit, with black spots on it. The other wearing a black mask and bodysuit, with a belt making a tail and black cat ears.

"You've gotta be joking." I muttered as I used the grapple hook to get across a street, trying to get a better angle on the monster. I made sure the hood was still on my head before drawing a revolver. As the monster threw a car, I shot the gas tank with a special incendiary bullet, causing it to explode, the monster stumbling back from the blast. I climbed on top of one of the chimneys and made sure that the people were safe. The people weren't evacuated were already running away from the girl in the red suit swung down and landed next to me, using some sort of yo-yo.

"Who are you?" She asked.

"If I told you, I'd have to kill you." I said, holstering the gun as I started looking for any more opportunities to attack the monster. The cat-man, or is it man-cat, landed next to her.

"Oh, really? You and what army?" He asked.

"You should know that I am a one-man army." I said, standing up.

"So how do we stop that?" The girl asked, stepping forward.

"No idea. Wait." I looked at the girl's yo-yo again and got an idea. "Your yo-yo, can you use it to tie up that, thing's legs?"

"I see where you're going." He stood up and took out a bo-staff. "I'll distract him." He jumped down and started attacking it.

"Let's go." She jumped down and wrapped the string of the yo-yo around the legs of the monster. As it fell, the girl took an object from its hand and broke it. As it fell to the ground, a black butterfly flew out of it. "No more evildoing for you, little akuma." She said, doing something with her yo-yo, and half of it disappeared. "Time to de-evilize!" she shouted as she swung the yo-yo at the butterfly, capturing it as the other half reappeared. She brought it back to her hand. She opened it again. "Bye-bye, little butterfly." she said as a now-white butterfly flew away. She picked up an object that was in the same color scheme as her costume. "Miraculous Ladybug!" She shouted as she threw the object into the air. It turned into several little ladybugs and they flew around the city, returning it to normal. I use the grapple hook to quickly flee the scene, and get back to the school. I took the mask and hoodie off and put them back into my backpack before anyone noticed. I put my hat and backpack on and walked around the city. Apparently, after an 'akuma attack' school was let out early. I could tell why. Quite a few people were shook up over what happened. I started walking down the steps of the school when both the girl and the boy from earlier ran up them, rushing back to the classroom. I chuckled, realizing their identities as the heroes from earlier.

"Hey, Jacob?" I heard Lila say. I turned to the bottom of the steps, where she was standing.

"Yes?" I asked, wondering what she wanted.

"Can we, talk?" She sounded nervous.

"Sure." I said, now curious. She lead me to a part of the Seine that I was familiar with, and we sat at a bench.

"Earlier today, you sounded like you didn't hate me." She said.

"Why would I hate you, exactly?" I asked.

"A few weeks ago, when I moved here, I made up a bunch of lies about myself. It got me into bigger trouble, and now everyone at school hates me." She looked away from me.

"Looks like you need to get on the road to redemption." I said.

"What do you mean?" She asked, looking at me.

"All you have to do is ask for forgiveness from them. Trust me, from what I've seen from my hours here, they're all nice people. Well, except that blonde jerk." We both chuckled at that.

"But, what if they don't forgive me?"

"You never know anything if you don't try. And if they initially reject you, just keep asking. They'll forgive you eventually." I gave her a pat on the back. She smiled.

"Thank you." She said.

"No problem. I gotta go." I got up and, after waving goodbye to her, I went back to my apartment. I took off the flannel, put the mask and hoodie back on, and put my hidden blade on my left arm. After making sure it was calibrated, I went to the roofs through the window. The hunt for the Templar's accomplice had begun.

 **This was fun to write. Tell me if you like the idea, and let me know if you want more of this. Thanks for reading!**

 **-The SteelNerfer**


	2. Revelations

I jumped across the roofs, landing with a roll. The black sky, speckled with white dots, loomed overhead. I used my Eagle Vision to continue tracking the Templar that I had seen earlier. He was being driven to a meeting at the Versailles palace. I needed to stop him before he left the city. The car stopped, and he got out, going into a building. I jumped onto that building's roof and used Eagle Vision to map out the building. I jumped in through a window and hid behind a turned-over table. The Templar walked into the room.

"Where is that courier, he was supposed to be here ten minutes ago." He said. I heard footsteps rush up and stop as a panting breath spoke.

"Apologies, sir. I had to make sure the Assassin was not following me." The panting man said.

"Do you have the manuscript?" The Templar asked.

"Yes, here it is." I heard a shuffle of papers as the Templar stood up.

"Thank you. This will serve the Order well." The courier left. I stealthily dashed and stabbed the Templar in the throat, killing him. I saw a vision of him meeting with a masked figure, discussing how to gain more power in Paris. The vision stopped as I removed the blade and let the Templar's body slump to the floor. I took the manuscript and, putting it in an inside pocket of my jacket, I went back out the window and rushed back to the apartment. I jumped in and took off the mask and hoodie. I took the manuscript out of the satchel and read through it.

"Perfect." I said as I finished reading. It contained information on the Sword of Eden that Germain had used over two centuries ago. I put the manuscript in a box and put a lock on it. I slit it under my bed and thought through the information. It was hidden in the Notre Dame cathedral. I needed to find it before the Templars found out about it. It was now a race against time.

 _In the morning_

I jumped across the rooftops as I rushed to school. Being late two days in a row wasn't going to be good for my reputation. I jumped down into an alley close to the school and ran up the steps. I rushed to my seat as class started. Noticing Lila wasn't next to me, I looked to see that she was standing in front of the class, talking to the teacher. As Marinette and Adrien rushed in and took their seats, she made her way to the front of the class.

"Hello." She started, clearly nervous. She looked up at me, and I gave her a nod. She looked back to the class. "I'm sorry for the lies I told all of you earlier this year, and I hope you can all forgive me." She went back to her seat, and I gave her a pat on the shoulder.

"There, not so hard, is it?" I said.

"No, it wasn't. Can you join me at lunch?" She asked.

"Alright." I said, taking out my notebook. The rest of the day was uneventful, until lunch. Lila and I sat at a bench. As we were about to eat, Marinette, Alya, and most of the class walked up.

"Hey, Lila?" Alya said.

"Yes?" Lila responded, nervous.

"We forgive you." The rest of the students forgive you. Lila thanked them, and they talked about things that I don't remember, as I was thinking about where the Sword would be.

"Jacob?" Lila asked, causing me to snap out of my train of thought. I shook my head and looked at her. She was wearing a big smile.

"Yeah?" I said, still a little distracted by the Sword.

"Thank you for telling me to do that. I don't know what I would have done without you."

"No problem." I said, smiling. I saw the look in her eyes. A look I had only seen in other Assassins. That's when I remembered a certain Italian Assassin from Florence.

 _Meanwhile, at the Templar base._

"This Assassin has disrupted our operations so that we are unable to find the Sword! He must be put down immediately!" A Templar said, slamming his fist onto the meeting table.

"Patience, mon ami." The grandmaster said, adjusting the butterfly brooch on his shirt. "We will find him, and end him."

"Excuse me for asking, Mr. Agreste, but how do you plan on capturing the Assassin? We have no idea who he is."

"We shall manipulate Ladybug and Cat Noir into helping our cause. They will catch the Assassin and bring him to us." Gabriel Agreste said, rising as he adjusted the Templar ring on his finger. The rest of the Templar rose as well. "Gentlemen, we are reaching the end of this so called 'eternal war', let us hope that our plans work."


	3. Rogue

I ran across the roofs, wearing the hoodie and mask that concealed my identity. The Templars had just released pictures that showed me standing over the body of one of their agents. I couldn't say anything, since that would reveal my identity, so I stuck to the shadows. I knew what their plan was. Heck, it already started.

"Stop right there!" Ladybug shouted, landing in front of me as I slid to a stop. I heard Cat Noir land behind me.

"Let me through." I said, preparing to engage the hidden blade.

"Not until you tell us why you killed that man." The cat said, spinning his staff.

"This goes beyond either of you, onto a global scale. So stay out of my way if you want the world to stay free." I turned to start walking down the roof.

"Where do you think you're going? I hope you didn't think you could just escape from us, did you?" Cat Noir said, blocking me with his staff.

"You asked for it." I grabbed the staff and sued it to knock the cat off his feet. He tumbled to the edge of the roof as I tossed the staff after him, which he caught. As I turned to face Ladybug, she used her yo-yo to tie me up.

"You're coming with us." She started bringing me closer.

"No, I'm not." I relaxed my body and the string slid off. I grabbed it and used it to throw her out of my way, before jumping into an alley and running through the streets. They chased after me, jumping across the rooftops. I ran across the Seine to Notre Dame, and hid in a hay bale that was being used for an event this week. I waited until they were out of earshot before jumping out. I used the rooftops to get back to my apartment, and taking the mask and hoodie off, I went to bed.

 _The next day_

"This is not good." I said as I saw a wanted poster with my masked face on it. Good thing was that it was masked. Bad thing is that I was now a wanted criminal. Making sure no one was within, what's the word, eye-shot? Line of sight, that's what I was looking for. Making sure no one was in my line of sight, I put up another poster over the wanted one. I quickly got away from it, and made my way to the school. By some miracle, I wasn't late to class. I was a minute early. A few minutes after class, Adrien and Marinette sat at their seats, and got the usual scolding from the teacher. The day passed as normal. After school, I met up with Adrien, Marinette, and Lila, as we agreed to during lunch. We met at the big pointy tower. Wait, did I just say that? I meant Eiffel tower.

"So, for the pro-" I stopped as I noticed men wearing Templar rings approaching us.

"What is it?" Lila asked.

"We need to go. I'll explain later." I started walking away, motioning for them to follow. They did, luckily. But as we started, the templars drew guns and began firing. "Run!" I shouted, rushing to the bank of the Seine. They ran after me, both my friends and the Templars. I opened a door that lead to the catacombs beneath the city.

"Where are you taking us!?" Adrien shouted.

"Just go, I'll explain later." They we went through as I closed the door. I heard the Templars run past.

"Now what?" Lila asked.

"Follow me. I need to show you guys something." I lead them through the sewers and catacombs to a hall, decorated with statues of Assassins and a torn red carpet that ran through the hall.

"What is this place?" Lila asked.

"I don't think this is the way out." Adrien said.

"It's time I showed you three something. About who you are." I lead them through the halls, into the ceremonial chamber that the Parisian Assassins used centuries before. "This is the hideout of the Parisian Brotherhood of Assassins. An underground organization I am a part of."

"Wait, you mean that-?" Marinette started asking.

"Yes, I am the Assassin that showed up recently." I heard all three of them gasp.


	4. Brotherhood

"Then, why did you show us this?" Adrien asked.

"Your father, Adrien, is the Grandmaster of the Parisian rite of the Templar Order, the Assassin's sworn enemies." I replied.

"If my father's the enemy of the Assassins, then why did you bring me here?"

"To try to bring the three of you to my side. You see, we Assassins seek to bring about peace through mankind's free will. The Templar want to do away with free will, using the Pieces of Eden to do it. You know these Pieces as the 'Miraculouses' Ladybug and Cat Noir have."

"So, are they with the Templar?" Lila asked.

"They have no allegiance in this eternal war of ours. Though, I hope I can have them rally the people to the Assassin's cause, so we can rise against the Templar, and secure our freedom."

"You know we won't side with a killer." Marinette said.

"Then you have no side in this war. But know, there will come a time when you have to pick a side, and that time is sooner than you expect." I turned to them. "If you value Paris's freedom, you will not tell anyone of this place. I will show you the exit." I lead them to an exit on one of the banks of the Seine. We went our separate ways, to our homes. I sat at a desk and looked through my plan to retrieve the sword. Tonight was the night I was putting it into action.

 _That night_

I made sure my hoodie and mask were secured on my face before entering the sewers. I walked through for a few hundred feet before coming to a staircase which seemed like it lead to the ceiling. I used Eagle Vision to locate a button and pressed it, opening the door that lead into the church. I snuck inside and used Eagle Vision again, to locate where the Sword was. I noticed a box glowing yellow, so I went up to it. Opening it, I saw the Sword wrapped in cloth. I moved aside a part of the cloth to confirm it was the Sword, before taking it under my arm and making my way back to the sewers. I closed the trapdoor behind me and made my way out. When I exited the sewers, I was greeted by a familiar face.

"It's over, Assassin. Hand over the Sword." Gabriel Agrest said. Two of his henchmen approached me, guns raised. I looked around me. There were eight Templars, excluding Gabriel. "This so-called, 'eternal war' is over. Give us the Sword, and you may become part of our Order." He continued. I formulated a plan to get out of this. I removed the cloths from the sword and raised it, ready to fight. I saw that it was powered up, which was all I needed. I raised it and used its power to create an explosion, knocking all the guards and Gabriel to the ground, and translocate (teleport) myself to a rooftop. I ran off to my apartment, checking behind me to make sure I wasn't being followed. I jumped in through the window, putting the sword in a sheath I had created, and put it in the safe. I closed the window and crouched below it, to make sure I couldn't be seen. After an hour, I got up and checked outside, taking off the hood and mask. They were nowhere to be seen. I thought of something that may bring the people of Paris to my side, and went to prepare for it. I went back to the old hideout and recorded the video.

 _The next day_

We were watching an educational video at school when I put the plan into action. After some seconds of static, I appeared on the screen.

"People of Paris," The recording started, "Do not be afraid of me. I am here to keep your city free from the people that would take away your freedom. Those people are the Templar, an ancient order that has sworn to take total control of the world. However, there is an order older than them, the Assassins, which I am part of. For many millennia now, we have fought an eternal war against the Templar. However, if you, the people of Paris, rise against those who seek to conquer you, we can defeat them. We, as one Brotherhood, can drive the Templar menace out of France, and return the power to the people. Yes, I have killed people, I won't try to deny that. But I have done it for the people, so that you and your children may live a free life, as you see fit. So if you see me, do not report me, for I fight for you, and I hope, when the time comes, that you will join the Assassins, and we can unite Paris again." The video ended.

"What was that?" Lila asked as the classroom erupted with chatter.

"Something to show the people that I am with them." I replied.

"Where did you show that?"

"Every freakin' screen in Paris." I said, chuckling. Hopefully, this would bring the people against the Templar, and toward their freedom.

 **Man, three weeks, with at least one chapter uploaded every week. I have no idea why this story has me writing, but I'm not complaining. I will be uploading the next part next week, so don't worry. Thanks for reading!**

 **-The SteelNerfer**


	5. The Battle Begins

I ran across the roofs, away from the two Templars that were chasing me. I got to a protrusion and jumped off, into a hay bale. I leaped out of it and ran into a crowd, hiding. The people saw me and used themselves to hide me until the Templars passed. I nodded and, taking back to the roofs, ran back to the apartment. It was good to see that the people were on my side now. I put the outfit in my backpack and put the flannel shirt and hat back on. Picking up the backpack, I ran out of the apartment and went across the roofs to get to school, again. I landed in the usual alley and walked into the school. I immediately used my Eagle vision, as there was no one there, and I saw Cat Noir on the roof.

"Where'd everyone go, Cat?" I yelled up.

"Enough, Assassin." He jumped down, and I saw a Templar ring on his left hand. I went serious.

"So you told your father, did you now?" I said, strapping the hidden blade on my arm and letting down the sleeves of my shirt.

"How did you know?" He said, walking toward me.

"I'm an Assassin, it's my job." I said, getting ready for a fight.

"Enough with this, hand over the Sword, and you'll live to see the New World Order."

 _He's using another Apple?_ I thought to myself. There was no way Adrien would join his father in a quest for world domination.

"Not happening." I said, raising my arms.

"Then I will take it from you!" He lunged at me, swinging his staff. I dodged it and threw a knife at him. He blocked it, of course, but it ricocheted off the wall, back to me. I caught it and swung a left hook at him, my fist connecting with his side. He doubled over and took a few steps back. I used this opportunity to use my grapple hook to flee. I ran across the roofs to the Agrest estate, breaking in through a window. I snuck to the room Gabriel was in, and confronted him.

"Where's the Apple?" I demanded, ejecting the hidden blade and putting on my mask. He turned around.

"In a place where you will never reach, Assassin. Your days are over." He said. Then, he put a brooch on. "Dark wings, rise!" He yelled, and he transformed into Hawkmoth.

"Shit." I said, as I prepared for a tough fight. I heard Cat Noir land behind me. "Double shit." I said. I couldn't take on two at once, so I had one option left.

"Give me the Sword, now!" Hawkmoth yelled.

"Have some of this, instead." I dropped two smoke bombs and, after they went off, I made my escape through the broken window I used to get in. I knew I had to draw Cat Noir far enough away so he could escape the Apple's influence. Lucky for me, I knew of the place. I stopped long enough for Cat Noir to catch up with me, then I went into the catacombs. He chased me to the Ceremonial Chamber, where I had put the Sword a few hours ago.

"Hope this works." I picked up the Sword and faced Cat Noir.

"Hand it over." He said, approaching me.

"How 'bout no." I said, activating its power. What appeared to be lightning bolts shot out the tip and struck Cat Noir. He screamed as the power surged through him. I stopped the power, and he collapsed. I sat nearby, waiting for him to awake. A few minutes later, he woke up.

"Ugh, what happened?" He asked, rubbing his head.

"Your father used the Apple to control you. Hopefully I rid you of its influence." I stood up and offered my hand.

"And I assume you snapped me out of it?" He took my hand and stood up. I took off my mask.

"Yes. Now we have work to do, Adrien."

"How did you-"

"I'm an Assassin. My job is to know who people are." I said for the second time today "Now come on, we have a city to free." He transformed and I lead him to a small meeting room. There, we discussed our plan to free Paris. That, and answer many of his questions about the Brotherhood.


	6. Unity

Adrien and I met in the hideout, again. We kept planning on how we were going to take out the Templar threat in the city, as most of the people that were in power were Templar, and loved by the people.

"So, what if we exposed them for who they are?" He suggested.

"Not a bad idea." I replied, looking at a cork board that showed all of the Templars that we knew about, and their connections. "As we see, the people are already ready to join the Assassin cause. As they have helped me escape Templars in this last week." I went to a filing cabinet and took out some papers that had dirt on the Templars in high places.

"What's that? Something to get our targets dirty?" He asked.

"Yep. Release these, and their whole shtick comes toppling down like a house of cards."

"How are you going to release them? You can't just let them go."

"I think you forgot about the existence of the internet." I pulled out my phone and sent a message.

"Who's that to?" Adrien asked, looking over my shoulder.

"A hacker group the Assassins are allied with. They call themselves the 'Initiates'." The phone buzzed, and I looked at the message. "They'll take care of these documents."

"Good. In the meantime, we need to get Ladybug on our side."

"Yes, if you can convince her." I started pacing, thinking about what was about to happen. "I still can't thank you enough for joining the Brotherhood." I said.

"No problem. After what Father did, I don't think I have any other choice." He replied.

"How about some training to pass the time?" I asked him.

"Sure. Lead the way." I lead him to the makeshift training hall and took out two rapiers. We began to duel. About an hour later, we ended the training and I went to the planning room and flipped on the news to see if the Initiates released the information.

"Marinette Dupain-chang and Lili Rossi have been found guilty of knowing the identity of the 'Assassin' that has been killing people throughout Paris, but have not given up his or her identity. They will be put in prison and will await execution later today." The anchor said. I let the channel run on.

"Well . . . shit." Was all I had to say. Two potential allies were now imprisoned, and now I had to choose weather to break them out, and leave the Sword unguarded, or to let both of them, one of them a superhero, die. Both were undesirable, yes, but both also presented a set of risks. I would have to be loyal to either the people or the cause. To risk the people's freedom to save their hope, or to let their hope die, to save their freedom. I leaned back in the chair and, resting my chin in the palm of my hand, thought.

"What's wrong?" I looked up. He was standing in the doorway.

"Marinette and Lila are gonna be executed."

"What!? Why?"

"Someone found out that they know who I am, and they haven't given me up."

"We have to help them. They can't just be left to die."

"And risk losing the Sword?"

"Forget the Sword! These are people we're dealing with, and what will it look like if we let them die?" We stayed there in silence for a few seconds.

"Get ready." I stood up. "We're in for a fight."

"Alright, I'll meet you on the roof of the school" He said.

"See you there." I left to grab the Sword. As I put the sheath on, I heard Adrien yell something.

"Plagg, claws out!"

We stood on top of the roof overlooking the park where the two were to be executed. A crowd had gathered around the wooden platform that had been erected. Police were stationed around the base of it. Two policemen were pacing on the platform, watching over the crowd. In an armored car, I saw Gabriel Agreste and the mayor discussing something, using Eagle Vision to see who was in the car. In an armored van, I saw Marinette and Lila sitting, handcuffed. Four policemen were in the van, guarding them, with another two standing at attention just outside the door. I looked at Cat Noir and nodded. He returned the nod and we jumped down, making our way to the back of the crowd. As we reached it, the mayor had walked onto the platform, and Marinette and Lila were being brought out.

"People of Paris," He started, "as your mayor, it is my sworn duty to keep you safe." The two were on the platform. "This 'Assassin' is a threat to your lives, and seeks to bring anarchy to the city. These two know the identity of the Assassin, but refuse to give it up." They were on their knees. "I present to you, Lila Rossi, and Marinette Dupain-Cheng, the latter of which is really the 'hero' Ladybug." The crowd gasped, and Cat Noir and I began making our way to the front. I pushed people out of they way, as he motioned for them to keep silent. "They are needlessly endangering your lives, and mine. It is with great regret, that I hereby sentence them to death." As he finished, I quickened my pace, running to the platform. As I approached it, the mayor spotted me. "There he is, the Assassin!" A few police tried to get between me and the platform, but I easily knocked them off their feet. I jumped onto the platform and drew the Sword, bringing it to the mayor's neck.

"Order your men to stand down, Templar." I said in a deep, intimidating voice. Cat Noir jumped up and raised his bo-staff behind his head.

"Let them go." He said, ready to take the mayor down.

"Men, stand down. Let the prisoners go." The mayor said. The police stepped back. I sheathed the sword and picked the locks on the cuffs, taking them off.

"What are you doing?" Lila asked me as she stood up.

"I'm not letting you or Marinette die." I said, motioning for them to get off the platform. They jumped off, and shortly after, Cat Noir and I did the same. The crowd helped us escape, and I lead them back to the hideout. We all sat around a table.

"What now? Lila and I can't go back home. The police will just capture us again." Marinette asked.

"You're staying here, then." I said, taking off my hood and mask. "I can get 'rooms' for both of you set up."

"Thanks, Jacob." Lila said.

"No problem." I walked over to a bookshelf and took it out. "Now, Lila, I have a question to ask you."

"What is that?" She asked.

"Do you want to know your family's past?" I opened the faux book and took out a USB drive from the compartment. It was labeled 'Ezio's memories.'


	7. Raise the Black Flag

"Again." I said. Lila stood up, grabbed her wooden practice sword, and swung. I managed to parry once, before she struck my side. "Arg." I grunted, stumbling back.

"Sorry, are you ok?" She asked.

"Yeah, better." I chuckled. "Looks like it worked."

 _Two days ago . . ._

"So, do you want to learn of your past?" I put the book back and held the USB in my hand.

"What do you mean, 'learn of my past'?" She asked, obviously confused.

"I mean learn who your family was, before the Assassins were driven out of Italy. You see, your family was not always, whatever it is now. Your ancestor, Ezio Auditore rebuilt the brotherhood nearly from the ground up in Italy. The story of his success is good, but if you want to, how do I put it, take his place, rebuilding the Brotherhood in France?"

"I-I don't know. Let me think about this."

"Take all the time you need, I'll be waiting. Meanwhile, Cat, you and I need to plan our next move." I walked to the planning room, putting the USB in my pocket. I heard him follow. We reached the room, and I closed the door. He de-transformed.

"It's hard to believe that she's Ladybug." He said, sitting down.

"For you, yes. If any of you could put the pieces together, the answer's obvious." I looked at a map of Paris, which I had put red tacks on to mark Templar hideouts.

"What do you mean?"

"You both would slip away, often at the same time, and at the same time, you both wouldn't be seen during the event, ever. It rarely happened, only when you or her were unable to transform." I studied the tacks, trying to find somewhere they were centered around, to find a main headquarters of some sort. No patterns were obvious.

"Yeah, I'm just surprised Alya didn't notice sooner." He looked at the board, then at me. "What are you looking for, exactly?"

"Any patterns in their hideouts, trying to find their headquarters. So far, zip." I fell into a chair and rested my head on an arm, thinking. "Maybe, we draw them out, see which hole they crawl out of."

"How would we do that? We're just two kids against who-knows-how-many Templar." I looked around the room, my eyes drawn to a black flag with the Brotherhood's insignia on it, and a skull in the center of it.

"Find Ladybug's miraculous, and raise the Black Flag." I pointed, and his eyes followed.

"That's our big plan? Rush into my house, grab the pair of earrings, cause enough of a distraction to get several Templar over, then put a flag on top of it all before leaving?"

"You got a better idea?" He smiled.

"Let's do this."

Cat Noir and I ran across the rooftops, jumping over the gaps between buildings, climbing over the chimneys, before stopping on a building across the street from the Agreste Estate.

"Ready?" I asked, spinning the cylinder of my gun before holstering it.

"Ready." He extended his bo-staff, and we ran across. After we jumped onto the roof, he retracted it, and I opened the window to his room. We jumped in. I climbed up the stairs, to the loft. He was standing there, looking around.

"Any day now." I joked, before looking for an air vent. He shook his head.

"Alright, let's do this." He jumped up to the vent, removed the cover, and climbed in, putting the cover on behind him. I patted the messenger bag on my side, which held the black flag which was designed after the one used by Edward Kenway centuries ago. I jumped down and silently opened the door, using Eagle Vision to make sure no one was around. I snuck through and closed the door, before stealthing my way to the atrium (or I think that's what it's called.) I used Eagle Vision and put an ear to the door.

"Nathalie, how is the hunt for my son proceeding?" Gabriel said through the door.

"The agents you assigned have been unable to find him. With the Assassin helping him, I don't think we'll be able to find him." She replied.

"And what of Ladybug?"

"The jewels are secure in the safe, as you requested, Sir. We have been unable to find Marinette since the Assassin and Adrien freed her and the Lila girl. Why did you request we capture her?"

"Because she is a descendant of the Assassin, Ezio Auditore. If she discovers her past, she may cause the Parisian Rite trouble, which is something we cannot afford. She must be either executed or converted to our cause."

"Yes, Sir." The assistant started to the door. I jumped over the rails, holding onto the edge of the floor as she walked out. She walked past. I jumped back over, and looked to see Gabriel Agreste gone. I walked in. There were pictures of a blonde-haired, blue-eyed woman on the walls, as well as several pictures of Adrien's accomplishments. I walked to the massive painting of the woman, and took it off. A safe was hidden behind it. I took out a kit to pick the lock.

"You know, Plagg can get it open a lot easier." I spun around, drawing my gun.

"God damn it, Cat." I holstered the gun.

"Hey, just trying to help. Claws in." He transformed and walked forward, Plagg by his side.

"I better get camembert for this." He flew through the safe door. A few seconds later, the safe was open. I reached in and grabbed an ornate red-and-black box and stuffed it in my bag. I closed the safe and replaced the picture. I turned to see Adrien staring at it.

"Your mom?"

"Yeah, she disappeared a while ago."

"C'mon, we got one last thing to do." I walked past him.

"Right. Plagg, Claws out!" I started to leave, but something out of the corner of my eye caught my eye. A phone. I walked over and picked it up. I hacked into it, and was greeted by the background, a Templar Cross.

"Booyah." I said, slipping it in my pocket. I opened a window, and leaped out. Cat Noir followed. We climbed to the roof, and I climbed up the flagpole. I extended my hidden blade, and cut down the Templar flag. I took out and hung the Black Flag, before sliding down.

"So, can we go now? I don't like staying here."

"Yes, let's." We started running.


End file.
